Tony Bosch, the founder and honcho of Biogenesis and the man who was the star witness in the enforcement action which led to Alex Rodriguez‘s year-long suspension, surrendered to the Drug Enforcement Agency this morning. He will eventually plead guilty to a conspiracy to distribute steroids.T.J. Quinn of ESPN was the first to report on the matter.

Quinn reports that the charges against Bosch and the others will not be limited to their interaction with major league baseball players. Rather, they will include charges that steroids were distributed to minors as well, both in this country and in the Dominican Republic. However, baseball’s involvement will not end here, as it was reported later in the day that at least two and possibly more baseball players have been identified as Biogenesis clients to the DEA and that their names will, eventually, be released. That should lead to more suspensions by Major League Baseball.

As was widely reported last year, Major League Baseball got Bosch to cooperate with its investigation of Rodriguez by striking a deal with him. That deal, detailed in the recently-released book about the Biogenesis case, “Blood Sport,” was reached over drinks at a Miami dive bar. It includes a promise from Major League Baseball that it would vouch for Bosch to any law enforcement agency which might threaten him with arrest. The agreement reads as follows:

“MLB will inform such agencies of the value and importance of Bosch’s cooperation in its efforts to achieve the important public policy goal of eradicating performance enhancing substances from professional baseball, and request that such agencies consider his cooperation with baseball.”

So someone at MLB now gets to send a letter or make a phone call to the DEA, I suppose, explaining that they should go easier on Bosch on charges that he sold drugs to kids because he helped nail Alex Rodriguez.

The beauty of such an agreement is that no law enforcement agency has to really consider MLB’s endorsement. If such government agencies are as annoyed with MLB as Craig made them out to be previously, they might even go harder on him.

Now, Bosch and Major League Baseball are reported to have come to an agreement in which the lawsuit will be dismissed against him, he will provide testimony and documents to Major League Baseball in furtherance of its investigation into Biogenesis-connected ballplayers and will indemnify him for any legal repercussions occasioned by his cooperation.

I was wondering when this would happen. I was seriously confused how he wasn’t being brought up on chargers from a legitimate law enforcement agency. I guess they took the slow and steady approach and waited for him to admit to everything. And how bad are Bosch’s lawyers that they didn’t tell him keep quiet? Now the Feds have testimony of himself against himself.

I bet that MLB already placed a call to the DEA on behalf of Boesch. Otherwise, the DEA wouldn’t only be charging him with conspiracy to distribute steroids. They would charge him with conspiracy, distribution, trafficking, money laundering, and all other types of charges associated with large scale drug dealing.
When was the last time you heard about the DEA only charging somebody with conspiracy to distribute steroids, with no other charges filed? It just doesn’t happen

Read this article and the linked Twitter feed. It looks like Bosch is pleading to this one charge so it seems like they already struck a deal to have that other stuff off the table. Several others were arrested today as well, including A-Rod’s cousin.
This could get a WHOLE lot more interesting.

“…its efforts to achieve the important public policy goal of eradicating performance enhancing substances from professional baseball…”

If I was writing a sardonic joke, I might have used this exact language. Public policy goal? No. It is internal business of a monopoly of private corporations. This is not for the greater good. This is entirely counter to the greater good. MLB will help him avoid punishment for dealing drugs to kids because he helped them suspend the employee of a subsidiary company for taking something that let him work out a little longer. Everything about this has run counter to the public good. I hope Manfred gets himself arrested in all of this.

“So someone at MLB now gets to send a letter or make a phone call to the DEA, I suppose, explaining that they should go easier on Bosch on charges that he sold drugs to kids because he helped nail Alex Rodriguez.”

I can’t believe the Feds don’t bring in anyone in MLB for questioning or prosecution. They’ll kick the door in on a 16 year old pot smoker, but an organization that knowingly made deals with a dealer, keeps records of users and pays for stolen goods is left alone. Wow.